MLB Power Rankings 7.0 (Week of May 12): Phillies soar up the charts; Yankees hold steady; Mets in decline

Once again, we crown a new No. 1 in our seventh MLB Power Rankings of the 2024 season — a scrappy team that is currently clicking on all the proverbial cylinders. 

On the local side, the Yankees continue to rank among the top five in baseball, while the Mets slipped down the charts with symptoms of mediocrity on full display. 

Let’s get to it! 

2024 MLB Power Rankings 7.0

1. Philadelphia Phillies (Previous #3): The Phils have the best record in baseball, and with good reason. Everything seems to be clicking on the mound and at the plate. Bryce Harper is having an MVP-caliber season, and has been solid defensively at his new first base position. Nothing but positives from the City of Brotherly Love right now.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous #1): The Dodgers swept the lowly Marlins, then wound up losing 2 of 3 against the reformed and surging Padres, which suggests the path to a division crown might not be as easy as some predicted in the preseason. Of all the big signings the Dodgers made, James Paxton might prove to be the most valuable this season; as of Monday, he touted 5 wins in 7 starts and an ERA of 2.58.
3. Atlanta Braves (Previous #4): Another week in the office for Atlanta, which swept a 2-game set against the Red Sox before chopping the Mets down to size in Flushing by taking two of three. And they’re at this point despite the fact that neither Matt Olson nor Ronald Acuña Jr. are playing up to their full potential. When they get things going at the plate, watch out. 
4. Baltimore Orioles (Previous #2): The young Orioles keep rounding into form even with a so-so week in which they split a 2-game set against their Beltway rival Nationals and took 2 of 3 from a rather weak Diamondbacks team. Jordan Westburg continues to impress at third base, and went 8 for 9 with 5 RBIs at the dish. 
5. New York Yankees (Previous #5): The veteran Yankees, meanwhile, are doing what good teams are supposed to do: Beat bad teams like the Astros and Rays in 4 of 6 games. Starter Luis Gil continues to step up big, with 2 wins during the week and allowing just one earned run in 12 innings pitched. The Orioles and Yankees will likely be fighting for first all the way till October.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (Previous #8): After losing 2 of 3 to the Royals, the Brewers righted the ship by taking 3 of 4 from the lowly Cardinals to stay atop the NL Central. Catcher William Contreras powered the offense with 10 hits, including 4 doubles, and 3 RBI.
7. Minnesota Twins (Previous #10): The Twins are officially back. After their 12-game winning streak was snapped, they took care of business last week by winning 3 of 4 from the Mariners, then 2 of 3 from the Blue Jays. Max Kepler had a scorching week, having gone 10 for 25 with a home run and six doubles. 

   
   

8. Kansas City Royals (Previous #12): Come for the rising Royals who took 2 of 3 from the Brewers then 3 of 4 from the Angels; stay for the incredible Seth Lugo, who is having a Cy Young-worthy season thus far with an impossible 1.66 ERA and 59.2 innings pitched, both of which lead the American League. Oh, how a certain team in Queens could use a pitcher like that.
9. Chicago Cubs (Previous #7): The Cubs survived Paul Skenes’ debut and won 2 of three against the plummeting Pirates after losing 2 of 3 to the rising Padres.
10. Seattle Mariners (Previous #9): Are they contenders or pretenders? It’s still tough to figure the Mariners out, especially after a week in which they lost 3 of 4 to the Twins, then won 2 of 3 against the Athletics.
11. Cleveland Guardians (Previous #6): Sure, they took 2 of 3 from the up-and-coming Tigers, but they followed that up with an inexplicably poor series in Chicago, losing 3 of 4 to the White Sox and summoning just 6 combined runs in three games before finally breaking out in the series finale. Letting the lowly White Sox beat you will always send you tumbling down the ranking board.
12. San Diego Padres (Previous #16): They’re still hovering at around the .500 mark, but when you go out and beat the big-money Dodgers 2 of 3 just days after acquiring the best hitter in baseball in Luis Arraez, you’re deserving of being in the top half of the league. A shout-out to Dylan Cease who is bouncing back big after being lost in the White Sox quagmire — with 68 strikeouts in 59 innings and a 2.45 ERA.
13. Texas Rangers (Previous #11): Somehow, the Rangers — who put up 35 runs in winning 3 of 4 from the Athletics — wound up mustering just 6 runs in getting swept by the lowly Rockies in hitter-friendly Colorado. As John Sterling would say, “That’s baseball, Suzyn.”
14. Detroit Tigers (Previous #13): Not a great week for the Motor City MLB representatives, as they lost 4 of 6 to the Guardians and Astros. Many thought the Tigers would arrive this year and contend for the AL Central, but right now, the Royals have left them in their dust.
15. Boston Red Sox (Previous #14): After getting swept 2 games by Atlanta, the Red Sox went out and took 2 of 3 from the Nationals. But they were 4-8 in their first 12 games in May, and while they’re still hanging around .500 and in third place in the NL East, one has to ask how much longer they’ll last.
16. Tampa Bay Rays (Previous #18): They took 2 of 3 from the White Sox, which is good. Then they lost 2 of 3 to the Yankees, which isn’t. Beat a bad team, lose to a good team. That’s the .500 team way.
17. Washington Nationals (Previous #17): Give the rebuilding Nationals credit, they’re hanging around in a very tough NL East. But this week, after splitting a series with the Orioles and losing 2 of 3 to the Red Sox, they might be in for a longer summer than they had hoped.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous #23): At last, the defending National League champions are showing signs of life with a sweep of the Reds and an inspired, although losing, effort against the Orioles. Zac Gallen notched two more wins last week, with 10 strikeouts and 2 runs allowed in 12 innings, to further assert himself as the best National League pitcher no one knows about.
19. San Francisco Giants (Previous #22): The Giants had another good homestand with a series win against the Reds and splitting a four-game set with the Rockies, but oh, how their lineup is riddled with injuries. They lost two outfielders in Michael Conforto and Jung Hoo Lee. Five of their starting nine are on the IL. Could be the start of a very rough stretch.
20. New York Mets (Previous #19): The bats came alive in St. Louis in sweeping a rain-shortened series, but then got ice cold back in Flushing in a series loss to Atlanta. The Amazin’s look like the quintessential .500 team — or worse.
21. Cincinnati Reds (Previous #15): The Reds drop out of the top half of the league after an abysmal week in the west, winning just 1 of 6 against the Diamondbacks and Giants. 
22. Toronto Blue Jays (Previous #20): Canada’s Team is quite the conundrum. While their starting pitching staff, led by Jose Berrios and Yusel Kikuchi, is having a strong campaign, their offense is absolutely in the toilet. Utility man Daulton Varsho has 7 home runs; Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer have 8 home runs combined. That’s not going to make you a playoff contender.  
23. Oakland Athletics (Previous #21): The upstart A’s slipped a little following series losses this week to the Rangers and Mariners. Back to reality?
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous #24): Phenom Pirates prospect Paul Skenes electrified the home crowd in Pittsburgh with his debut Saturday, offering promise of a brighter future. But they also lost 4 of 6 to the Angels and Cubs, which reminded fans that the Steel City rebuild still has a long way to go.
25. Houston Astros (Previous #26): Seven weeks in, we’re still asking ourselves if the Astros are really as bad as their record is. After losing 2 of 3 to the Yankees, then winning 2 of 3 to the Tigers, the mystery remains. For now, their spot in the bottom third of the league remains firm. 

    
    
    

26. St. Louis Cardinals (Previous #25): They went 1-5 against the Mets and the Brewers, they lost catcher Wilson Contreras to a broken arm for 6-8 weeks, and they seem poised for a very long summer under the Gateway Arch. Last place is unfamiliar territory for Cardinals fans. How will they respond?
27. Colorado Rockies (Previous #30): Signs of life from the Rocky Mountains! They took a three-game series against the defending World Champion Rangers. A minor miracle, and most likely the highlight of the Rockies’ season.
28. Chicago White Sox (Previous #29): After the Rays avenged being swept by the lowly Southsiders, the White Sox managed to take 2 of 3 from the AL Central-leading Guardians. They were the only team in the division under .500, and more than 4.5 games behind first, entering play Monday.
29. Los Angeles Angels (Previous #28): Somehow they took 2 of 3 against the Pirates, before the up-and-coming Royals showed them how a great farm system can blossom into something special. Years of mismanagement have caught up to the Halos yet again.
30. Miami Marlins (Previous #27): The new doormats of Major League Baseball earn this distinction after managing one win in six games against the far superior Dodgers and Phillies this week. They’ve already traded Arraez; whoever has value is probably next. Let the latest fire sale begin.